Denmark's queen urges immigrants to adapt

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Denmark's Queen Margrethe says immigrants don't have to like Danish food, but they must respect the country's core values.

The figurehead monarch made national headlines by entering a tense debate about immigration ahead of her 75th birthday this week.

Speaking to reporters Monday in Copenhagen, Margrethe said immigrants "don't need to change religion or what they eat. It's not about meat balls. It's about adapting to the country they have come to."

She was commenting on a weekend newspaper interview in which she urged newcomers to accept Denmark's "mental climate" and cited the Jewish community as a "beautiful example" of a minority adapting to Danish society.

Denmark's immigration debate intensified after February shooting attacks against a free speech event and a synagogue by a gunman with Palestinian roots.